


Shining Soul

by orphan_account



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Grief/Mourning, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-09
Updated: 2018-02-07
Packaged: 2019-03-02 14:38:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13320267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: “What?”“You know what I mean.  Lucy.  Do you think she’s out there looking for help?”Gray’s eyes darted to the drink in his hand.  They already knew the answer to that question.  They both had seen the outcome of the circumstance.  Lucy was undoubtedly dead.  Gray didn’t want to believe it either.“Maybe.”





	1. Bark and Bite

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fanfic is a Bickslow / Lucy Heartfilia fanfiction! They are the main focus of this fanfiction, although other mentions of couples will be included.
> 
> Natsu Dragneel / Lucy Heartfilia is also in the story, but serves a minor role.
> 
> \---
> 
> 1/10/18: Added new scene to the end of the first chapter.  
> 1/25/18: Added Sting/Rogue as a tertiary pairing. Does not serve a major role.

“That job was relentless,” murmured Freed Justine as he walked through the cobblestone path leading to the main city.  “I think we may have underestimated the power of the enemy.”  His two partners nodded in absent minded approval- neither had cared enough to pay attention to their leader’s assessment of the mission.

Their mission took longer than it usually did.  What usually took a week at most took over 3 weeks of hard core searching and survival.

“Oh well, doesn’t matter.  The battle is over and done with.  We can return home for some Grade A shut eye!”  Bickslow spun in a circle, foot planted on a particularly smooth cobblestone.  It looked as if he was to fly off the path and onto the ground besides them.  Evergreen scowled at his childish nature.  No matter how long she had known the duo, she could not get over his disregard for serious situations.  The guy would probably laugh at funerals, she had always figured.  Considering his magic…Evergreen was sure death seemed a joke to the dense, ever crazy Bickslow.

“For once, I can second your pathological rambling.”  Evergreen allowed a smile to cross her glossed lips, catching notice from Bickslow’s ruby eyes.  She never smiled at anything he said, especially not after a mission as hard as this one.  He found himself smiling at the unusual gesture.  It brought him momentary peace.

Bickslow’s nerves had been on high alert since they took down the dark guild Black Lotus.  That was their mission, this time around, and the guild had proven to be a greater foe than originally planned.  Freed and Bickslow had to resort to a unison raid to with the battle- a unison raid!  They had never done one before.  Bickslow wondered if Evergreen was jealous of Freed’s trust in Bickslow.  His lips curved into a grin at the thought of it.

But taking down Black Lotus wasn’t the only eventful news of the day.  Something much more interesting transpired.  He had momentarily blacked out during their battle against the dark guld, and during his unconscious hours, visions flooded his head with painful emotions.

A young girl crying at her mother's death. A father yelling strong words of abuse. Loneliness and pain Bickslow knew all too well.

Despite what happened, Bickslow couldn't bare to tell Freed or Evergreen. He didn't want them to think he snapped at the weak dark guild's magic show.

Unlikely the magic of someone inside Black Lotus.  This was a form of connection magic, on a deeper level than the child from Grimoire Heart had used. Sensory link was a possibility, but to recall old memories of your partner was unheard of.

Maybe, in his tired and battered mind, he had only imagined it.  There was no way that someone from the guild had synchronized themselves together, if only for a moment.  Their differing guild marks kept them from doing so.

This had been the second time that journey that Bickslow fell into a deep concentration.  His mind bounced with theories and conclusions of the weird encounter- but his mind could not fit ends together.  The memory of sensation had already started to disappear from his brain.  If he could recall the exact feeling where he stood, he was sure he could figure it out in a heartbeat.

“Watch where you’re walking, you oaf,” Evergreen scolded him from in front of him.  Bickslow shook his head from concentration and gazed down upon the split of the path; one leading to their safe destination, and the other to certain death.  Had Ever not broke his concentration, he would truly become one with his babies.  And he couldn’t do that just yet!

Quickly, Bickslow jogged to keep up with the other members of the Thunder Legion.  Freed sauntered in front, just as always.  His hips swayed with the motion of his coat, which was discreetly covering Freed’s behind.  Despite Evergreen being the only biological female in the group, Freed worked his feminine traits well- almost too well.  Bickslow didn’t want to think of getting drunk and accidentally hooking up with Freed, thinking he’s a girl!  That would kill his boner for the rest of his life.  ‘

Besides…when they were kids, Freed had sworn himself to Laxus.  It was a heavily guarded Thunder Legion secret, but Freed and Laxus had been engaged since Freed turned 16, and Laxus 19.  As far as he knew, not even Makarov knew of the events of that day.  The Thunder Legion partied harder than they ever had before.

He didn’t have a problem with his gay friend--s?  Was Laxus bi, or was he gay? --  but gay wasn’t the road he found himself wanting to travel down.  Women were enough for him.

Except for Evergreen.  In his mind, she wasn’t even a woman, nor a person.  She was a beast.

He found his favorite type to be short and slim in stature, with long light hair, honey brown eyes, and a killer set of Celestial Spirit keys by her side.

It was another heavily guarded Thunder Legion secret- Bickslow had the hots for Cosplaying Cheerleader Lucy Heartfilia.

The Battle of Fairy Tail left Bickslow with fantasies of the young woman who had defeated him in battle. At first they were happy dreams. Her cute face as she confessed her love to him. These innocent thoughts didn't fit Bickslow- He was all about the bad life, baby

It wasn’t like love or anything.  Evergreen continually referred to it as lust at first sight.  She was probably right, knowing Bickslow’s repertoire.  He had never earned a steady girlfriend, or boyfriend if he ever did choose to walk the path of _fairies_ , hand in hand with Freed and Laxus—if Laxus weren’t bi, that is!

“We’re at Labery. Look alive, men,” Freed called from the front of their entourage. Evergreen stopped, and with her stop signaled Bickslow to stop short of her frail body.  If he ran into her, he would never hear the end of it.  “We're going to make a few days stop here before continuing onto the guild.”

“Freed, we’ve already spent longer than necessary tracking down the enemy for this mission.  Wouldn’t loitering around be overkill?” Evergreen contested.  She flicked her fluffy fan in his general direction before bringing the paper up to her face to cover her mouth. Intimidating brown eyes beamed through thick lowered eyelashes.  

“I’m not one to complain on traveling, but my legs are killing me, and I’d prefer to sleep in my own bed for once.  If we catch the train leaving at 6, we can get back to Magnolia around 9, and then I can finally be free of you two.”

Bickslow stuck out his tongue.  “Why, so you can be free to have the she devil’s younger brother all to yourself?”  Within moments, Evergreen smacked Bickslow to the ground with her frail fan.  He had angered her.

“As the leader of the Thunder Legion, I order we rest our magic power before returning to the guild.”  Freed’s tone of voice, once calm and understanding, now lingered with a deadly resolve.  Bickslow and Evergreen knew the look all too certainly.  Freed rarely went back on his word, even with the most insignificant promises and situations.  “Labery is known for it’s extensive magic library and shops, and it's enrichment in learning.  There are a few neccessary items we need to pick up before returning to the guild.”

“You could have said that in the first place, Freed,” Evergreen sneered at him.  “It could have prevented Bickslow’s buffoonish comment.”  She lowered her eyeglasses, eyes beginning to glow threateningly towards the seith mage.  “Another word from you, and you’ll be a permeant decoration in this city’s central plaza.  Do you understand?”  
  
Bickslow gulped, and sweat running down the sides of his face.  “Of course.” 

“Good boy.”  Evergreen smirked with triumph.  She always won their arguments, but he’d be damned if he allowed her to get the last word in.

“Of course, Queen of Elfman’s monster co-“

Bickslow didn’t even finish his sentence before Evergreen petrified him to stone.

 Freed turned back towards his comrades, a scowl hanging heavy on his pale face.  “And how do you suppose he'll travel into Labery with us, Evergreen?”

The brunette dusted off her bare shoulder before walking aside Freed and to the front.  “Don’t worry, I’m sure his annoying babies will crate him off to wherever we decide to stay for the night.  But it better NOT be my room, alright?”

Freed sighed.  The mission had been a successful, well executed, flawless advance on Black Lotus, but the Thunder Legion was in shambles as always.  Despite the oddities, he found himself smiling.

 

* * *

 

 

Cold air wafted through the cracked walls of the Fairy Tail building, shaking its foundation with each powerful blow.  The bite left any surrounding wizard numb; their fingers had long lost feeling in the tips as the wind rolled over bare skin and up drafty clothing.  Winter in Magnolia always had a bite to it- even Gray found it hard to stay tolerant during some of his years stationed in the Fairy Tail guild.

Back then, the guild was always a source of warmth.  A source of never ending light.  A light that shone bright with future and love, with adoration and hope of it’s generation, and aimed to keep the guild members inside alive.  The guild’s family bonds were what kept the run down, rickety, guildhall from seeming cold and dark.  Because with each other, everything was bright.

But their family ties had been severed.

The event happened suddenly.  Nobody could have predicted it, nobody could have stopped it. 

Wizards were well known scammers- often, clients would be scammed out of the service they had hired of a wizard.  The problem became such a phenomenon that at one point, an unequal trade of service could result in 3 months of prison time.  Just as often, clients scammed wizards.  Scammed of money, of status, of reputation. 

Scammed of their life.

Dark guilds were the most infamous examples of this.  Using the guise of a wealthy conglomerate, dark guilds would trick the freelance wizard into completing a forbidden job.  Forbidden jobs were only a mild case of what dark guilds would do to official guild wizards- stories of horror told worse.  Tall tales passed down through survivors, or witnesses of those who perished at the hand of dark guild guises.

No one knew that Lucy Heartfilia, Fairy Tail’s shining bright star, would suffer such a fate.

It had been almost a month since the news of her passing.  The dawn of the final week approached, and with it the suffering continued.  Each member blamed themselves for her demise, her final breath, her suffering.  Everyone blamed themselves.

The mission was disguised as a simple retrieval mission- the youngest daughter of the Terran family had fled the city with her forbidden lover.  Lucy was to retrieve her and bring her home to her family, and along the way, she had hoped to open the girl’s family to accept their daughter’s wishes.  Natsu had specifically given the job to her as a birthday present.

Natsu blamed himself more than anybody else.

He didn’t blame the dark guild that had taken her life.  He didn’t blame Lucy, or her spirits, or head of the family who had been unaware of the job request they had supposedly given.  He held resentment for all of them in his heart, it burned like a cold fire, but nothing burned brighter than his hatred for himself.

Natsu’s chest pressed against the side of the bar.  With a heavy drink in hand, and a plate of untouched food in front of him, he sat at the edge of the bar with his best friends.  Gray Fullbuster sat on the right side of comrade, a similar expression and mood adorned on his face.  The entire guild shared their same mood.

“Do you ever think she’s out there somewhere?”

Gray turned his head to stare at Natsu, an awestruck expression on his face.  This was the first time Natsu had spoken it days.

“What?”

“You know what I mean.  Lucy.  Do you think she’s out there looking for help?” 

Gray’s eyes darted to the drink in his hand.  They already knew the answer to that question.  They both had seen the outcome of the circumstance.  Lucy was undoubtedly dead.  Gray didn’t want to believe it either.

“Maybe.”

“Maybe she’ll become a celestial spirit- if anyone deserves it, it’s definitely her.”  Natsu’s eyes lit up at the thought of Lucy becoming one of her celestial spirits, the spirits that she adored more than anything.  But as quickly as the spark came, it faded, leaving Natsu an empty husk.

“Lucy, the shining star of Fairy Tail.  That sounds like a celestial spirit name.  It’s like how her spirits have a title accompanying their name.”  Gray looked up at the ceiling, cold eyes fixating on the rickety wooden beams.  

“I’d become a celestial spirit just to see her again.”

Gray nodded in agreement.  There wasn’t anything anyone wouldn’t do to get her back.  It pained him knowing that Lucy would never return to them.

Believing she wasn’t gone was impossible- she was gone.  They had seen her body.  Gray had seen them lay Lucy’s lifeless figure into her casket.  Gray had seen them lower her casket into the ground.  The tombstone was placed, and with it marked the staking reality that their best friend was dead.

Their guild had become quiet.  Too quiet for the like of Natsu and Gray.  But neither of them could muster enough energy to make the atmosphere rowdy and _warm_ like it used to.  Warm like Lucy’s apartment.  Warm like her smile.

Fairy Tail would never be the same.

Lucy Heartfilia was gone.  With her death, she took the happiness of her guild.  Her family.  She was the rock which they all stood.  She was their support.

Natsu hadn’t cried when Igneel disappeared.  He knew Igneel wasn’t dead.  It was just a matter of finding him.

But Lucy was dead.  Pale, lifeless, gone.

A tear slipped from Natsu’s half lidded eyes.  It rolled down his puffy cheeks, landing on the table beneath him.  Gray fought back the tears as well- keeping stable was difficult to manage given their circumstance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry for such a late update, I had school work to catch up on. Welcome back to your regularly scheduled program!
> 
> Make sure to read, review, and leave kudos! Each are appreciated and will help me to get chapters out easier!


	2. Revenge and Remembrance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The soul absorbed into his body. It took over his senses, leaving him defenseless as he tried to fight against the overwhelming power of the other object. His soul fought for dominance, fought for space, but everything was futile. Bickslow collapsed to his knees, emotions and memories flooding over him.
> 
> Whoever this soul belonged to was trying to tell him something.
> 
> A large blonde-haired man stood in front of him. The scenery had changed to a dark red room with large windows. The only light source were the windows, which were obstructed by a large desk.

Evergreen’s assumptions about Bickslow’s soul collection carrying him to their place of residence was all but right.  To spite her actions against her master, they had decided instead to follow Freed and Evergreen around until their master was released.

About an hour into the revenge against Bickslow, Evergreen felt herself going crazy over the dolls’ incessant whining.

“Papa!  Papa!”

“Your papa is taking a time out.  Can you bug off and do the same, you insufferable children?”

“Calm down Evergreen,” Freed rationed.  He seemed calmer about the situation than Evergreen did, which was uncharacteristic of his tolerance for annoying behavior.   “It’s only natural they resort to this tactic to rouse your attention.  You were the one who turned Bickslow to stone, after all.”

He had a point.  She hated when he had a point. 

“We’re already in the middle of town, I am NOT hiking up that mountain to fetch him again.”

“Fetch!  Fetch!”

“You will if you want them to stop shouting at you.”

Evergreen yelled in frustration.  Why did everything involving Bickslow have to be so annoying and complicated?  “Can’t you go with me?  I won’t be able to deal with him myself.”

“Then you shouldn’t have turned him to stone in the first place, Evergreen.”  He narrowed his visible eye at her.  “You have no one to blame but yourself.  If you had listened to me before we had left the outskirts for the center of town, then we wouldn’t have to deal with this right now.  Now do what you’re told before I pull out all my hair.”

He was right.  She hated when he was right.

Evergreen turned her body opposite from Freed’s.  There was no getting out of this.  She would have to sacrifice her aching legs to fix her mistake.

“I wish you would be more understanding of him, Evergreen,” Freed whispered underneath his breath.  Evergreen stopped in her tracks.  Did Freed really think that way?

She had known Bickslow since he joined the guild.  He hadn’t always been so carefree and loving.  When he arrived…it was almost like he was an entirely different person.

A boy with shaggy black hair and piercing crimson eyes.  The memory came to mind of how he looked when he first arrived at the guild.

He had been found by Laxus on a recent mission.  The exact details were hazy in Evergreen’s mind, but he almost had been lynched by the town’s head priest.  The flame signaling his death had been set by the time Laxus arrived to save him.  This happened nearly twelve years ago.

For months he never spoke a word to anyone besides Laxus.  Laxus was his only friend.  Slowly, with influence from the blonde, he had become a social butterfly.  But it was all an act for the longest time.  Evergreen remembered overhearing a conversation during a mission they all had went on.

Eventually, she had heard this story for herself.  How alone Bickslow had felt.  How alone he felt around everyone, despite the company they offered.  That night was the first time he had called someone else besides Laxus a friend.

They were inseparable from that night onwards.  Although he got on her nerves more times than she could count, he was a near and dear part of her small family.  She relied on him.  He was her only family.

Elfman felt temporary.  She couldn’t consider him family, no matter how hard she tried. Their relationship formed through Tenroujima and the fear of failure, of death, but something about them seemed temporary.  She trusted him with her life, but…couldn’t trust him with her secrets.  With her deepest thoughts.  She only trusted her small family.  Freed and Bickslow.  Laxus when he was here.

Bickslow was annoying.  But no doubt did she love him.  He was kind hearted and playful, bearing childhood innocence she wished she had.  She wished that he could have had it before adulthood, too.  His attitude was likely a result of his loss of childhood.  Evergreen didn’t know where Bickslow was before the events of meeting Laxus, but she guessed they were far from pleasant.

Seith magic was a tragic magic.  The memory of being told this by Freed also came to mind. 

She couldn’t recall exactly when she had started walking towards the direction of the outskirts.  Her mind was cluttered with thoughts of Bickslow and what Freed had said.  Was she not as understanding of him as she thought?  Did her actions contradict her words?  How did Bickslow think of her?

The town was large- she hadn’t expected a place like Labery to hold so many citizens.  She looked towards the horizon line.  Evergreen and Freed had barely put a dent in traveling across the city, yet people lined the streets in large groups.  Not even Magnolia was this densely populated.  Whatever guild resided in this city, Evergreen didn’t know.  For it to be known as a city of magic, there had to be at least one guild lurking among contesters.  Maybe she would meet a fellow guild wizard during their stay.

Her legs burned.  The Thunder Legion had walked from one city to the next.  They hadn’t done such a feat since Laxus accompanied them on missions.  Physical traveling wasn’t quite her thing, nor was it Freed’s.  Bickslow could handle a few hours of walking, but he could fall back on his dolls to carry him the rest of the way.  Why they all didn’t fly to Labery was beyond Evergreen.

Flying- that surely would get her faster to Bickslow.  Any second her legs were going to give out in the crowded cobblestone street.  A stranger would attempt to do lewd actions against her if she did- it was best not to allow that.

Mustering enough magic power, Evergreen took to the skies with her thin fairy wings. Why she hadn’t thought of this idea before was beyond her.  This would make things a lot easier.

 

* * *

 

 

“I’m going out and searching for the magic items I came here for.  You two, behave while I’m gone.”  Freed’s nimble fingers buttoned up his coat with ease.  Bickslow watched, fixated on his fingers as they moved down the piece of fabric.  “I should be back around 7, accompanied by ingredients for dinner.  Make sure to be here.”

“Dinner?  Oh, what are we having?”  Bickslow questioned with integral curiosity.  Freed’s dinners were hit or miss.  He either made outstanding meals, or meals o eat out of pity for the chef.  There was no in between.  How Laxus would be able to stand having Freed as a husband didn’t make sense to Bickslow.

“I’m not sure- I don’t even know what’s at the market place, yet.  I’m keeping us on a budget, so no doubt it will be something cheap.”

“Why don’t we just order takeout?  Would save us a lot of time-“

Freed tapped Bickslow’s leg with his rapier.  He knew asking that would get him abused for the second time that day.

“Okay, fine, homemade food it is.”  The greenette smirked at his response.

“Just as I thought,” Freed conceded.  “Remember- I’ll be home by 7.”

Without another word, he closed the door behind him, leaving Evergreen and Bickslow to stand in silence.

“About earlier…”

“I don’t want to hear it,” Evergreen huffed.  She had already forgiven Bickslow in her mind, and he figured as much, but her pride was too strong to allow admittance of her forgiveness.  “I’m going out as well.  Freed told me there was a nice clothing shop nearby.  I need a new fur trim coat.”

“Typical of you, Evergreen.”  Bickslow smirked, his tongue hanging free from his lips.  “I told you not to stand in line with the enemy attack.”

“Another word and I really will leave you as stone this time, regardless of what your dolls try this time.”

The seith mage chuckled at her threat.  He knew she wouldn’t be able to stand another hour of obsessive chanting from his babies.

“My lips are sealed _, princess_.”

“Scoundrel.”  The brunette turned from him, making sure he was at her back as she reached for the door.  “Be home by 7 or face the wrath of Freed.”

“Okay, _mom_.  Be home by 7 too.  Don’t bring back any boys.”

“Okay _, dad_.”

“Already calling me Daddy before the first date?  I’m surprised you’re such a pervert, Ever.”

“Stone eyes?” Evergreen turned her head to stare at Bickslow.  Her thin hand raised to lower her glasses, causing Bickslow to immediately turn and head into the living room.  “Good boy.  I’ll be back soon.  Behave.”

The door shut behind Evergreen, leaving Bickslow in his lonesome.

The residence they were staying at wasn’t bad.  It wasn’t the best they had come across, but it wasn’t run down.  The floor plan was only one story, with only five rooms.  A kitchen, two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a small living room area.  The living room reminded him of his own place.  A black leather couch, blue curtains and blue rugs over dark wooden flooring.  The architect must have a similar style to his own.

He was alone for a few hours.  The boredom was already starting to set in.

The blue haired mage removed his helmet from his head.  It had started to indent into the side of his face, no doubt from a deformity of the covering.  He had been struck in the head during battle.  His neck ached from the heavy metal pressuring his head all the time.  He stretched the muscles, moving his head side to side to rid himself of the uncomfortable strain.

His babies laid dormant in the corner of the room where they were commanded.  He could summon them forth and entertain himself with them, but he knew that there wasn’t much to do with them.  Besides talk, that is.  But Bickslow was calling himself an introvert for the night.  Talking seemed out of the question with how tired he was.

Bickering with Evergreen had its toll, whether he wanted to admit it or not.  She was relentless, he was an asshole- they didn’t merge together very well.  It was surprising how well Freed put up with them.

Though, Bickslow wasn’t sure the definition of putting up was calling them children and threatening to punish them.  He was more…tolerant, than anything.  Tolerant, but not patient.

The seith mage moved his figure to lay on the leather couch.  The cold leather stuck to his arms and hands, a feeling he rather enjoyed when at home.  It was cold outside the building they were staying in, but inside the room it was hot.   The cold made him relax.

As his head lay back onto the couch, he noticed little details on the ceiling.  The ceiling was a dark blue, contrasting greatly with the white of the walls.  Dotted along in a steady path, white paint created the illusion of stars.

They reminded him of Lucy.

He didn’t know what his obsession with Lucy Heartfilia was.  She had defeated him in battle twice, but he’d be lying if he said she wasn’t totally hot while doing so.  Bickslow wasn’t sure if what he felt was physical attraction, or unconventionally something more.

Bickslow didn’t do relationships.  He never did.

But maybe the fact he was considering Lucy for a relationship said something.

He couldn’t be sure of what he felt.  He didn’t know much about her, aside from the few interactions and fights they shared.  She was strong, a real kickass wizard who could hold her own.  She liked dressing up in skimpy outfits.  But aside from these few points, he knew nothing.

He knew she was the shining star of Fairy Tail.  That had to mean something about her personality.  Was she nice like Lisanna, or was she irritable like Erza?  What kinds of things did she like?  What opinions did she have?

Lucy had a warm soul.  It was gold and glowing and nothing but bright.  Her soul was beautiful.  And so was she.

Bickslow groaned to himself.  She was perfect.  He was far from it.  This little crush had gone too far.  It would never work out between them.  He was below anyone’s standards. Never in a million years would he find someone.

He was the only virgin in the Thunder Legion.  He had caught Freed and Laxus before- and Evergreen involved herself in men more than she admitted.  A few flings had happened over their countless amount of missions.  And by the way it seemed, Elfman was a long-term fling after the events of Tenroujima.

It wasn’t bad being alone.  It was nice, comforting- he didn’t have to worry about standards, or about impressing people.  He was his own man, with his own style, his own spirit!

But settling down…wasn’t a bad idea either.  Both seemed nice.

Bickslow liked the idea of being a father someday.  He hadn’t grown up with stable parents, or any parents at all.  He was on his own his entire life.  Raising kids and giving them the world seemed like a wishful future.  Fate was cruel.

Bickslow opened his eyes.  He hadn’t realized he had drifted off in his thoughts.

The leather couch stuck to his bare skin, and it took everything to pry himself off the couch.  The leather made a satisfying noise with the removal of his body, but the feeling burned in his memory.  Falling asleep on leather couches were hell.

Only twenty minutes had passed.  He still had a few hours to do whatever he wanted without limitation.  He could follow the crowd and leave the building for a few hours.  He had never set foot in Labery before, not even on missions. The city could hold some interesting things, waiting to be explored by him.

His red eyes flashed towards his sallet for a moment.  It was damaged- he couldn’t wear it comfortably until it was repaired.

“Eh, fuck it.”

The seith mage hurried to the bathroom.  Contacts, like glasses, would help hide his figure eyes from the rest of the city.  Within minutes, Bickslow adorned the stunning blue contacts.  They fit his general color scheme of dark blues and purples.  Freed had bought them.

He stared into the strikingly clean mirror, eyes wandering over every part of his face.  The tattoo was something he had always been self-conscious of, but no amount of make up had been able to cover his deformity.  He considered it a curse.  It was a curse.

Most people freaked out when they saw the mark of seith magic upon his face.  Maybe the people of Labery would be different.

His hair was another point of contention.  Maybe, if he slicked it back into a uniform shape, it would look better.

On second thought, it wasn’t worth it.  He was walking through the city, not going on some date.  It was pointless to doll up.

He exited the bathroom before grapping his satchel and heading towards the door.  He would leave his babies back at the house, too.  They would take up too much space, and if he truly needed them, he could always summon them right away.

He didn’t know what to expect from Labery.  It seemed boring, but something about the atmosphere told him something special was going to happen.  What that special thing was, he didn’t know.  He didn’t even know if his gut feeling even had meaning.  But something about it screamed importance.

 

* * *

 

 

The sun in Labery was starting to set.  Bickslow looked over to the city’s clock tower; it was only five o’ clock.  The sun in Magnolia didn’t set until seven.  Maybe it was a regional thing.  It didn’t seem as cold in Labery as it was in Magnolia, after all.

Bickslow felt defenseless without his babies, but his nerves were calmer than usual.  Their mission had been a success, he had a large amount of spending money at his disposal, and he felt safe behind the guise of icy blue contacts.  Things were fine.

He had two hours to kill, and he planned to make the most of it.

Their building wasn’t too far from the market place the Thunder Legion had passed through on their way in.  The series of shops were larger than the Magnolia mall, and held more valuable items, he was sure.  Freed and Evergreen were more than likely inside the same market place.

Crowds weren’t his thing.  His soul seeing ability had always kept him from enjoying mass amounts of people.  Everything was too bright, even behind the canceling effect of his contacts.

Souls of all different kinds flooded the streets of Labery.  Different forms of magic bustled and burned within their bodies, and Bickslow noted each type of them.  To his left was an ice wizard.  To his right was a pair containing a reequip mage and a lightning wizard, like Laxus.  For some reason, that fact put him at ease.  Laxus had always been able to calm him down.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted something…peculiar. 

Up above the head of the crowd, a bodiless soul floated aimlessly.  The soul glowed a dim gold.  Its energy was fading fast.  It had recently left it’s host, and was rapidly running out of energy.

But it was powerful.  It would be a helpful member of Bickslow’s ever growing army.

He loved his five babies.  He had obtained them from the same method as he was going to this one.  They had all been aimless souls he trapped in soul glass, later tamed and used in combat.  But it was rare he came across them- this was a once in a decade opportunity.

The soul floated away from the market place.  Although he planned to explore the market place, capturing this soul was more important.  He had to catch it before any other seith mage present could.

Seith magic was rare, but if there was a seith mage near by for any reason, he would be in trouble.

He walked to catch up with the soul, but normal pace proved not enough to play catch up.  Bickslow sprinted through the decreasing sea of people.  He had to catch this soul before it got out of his hands!

Running proved to help his chances.  People moved out of the way as he ran, and rapidly he closed in on the glowing object.  Just a few more meters and he would have six babies instead of five.

What would he name this new set of babies?  Would he keep the totem pole theme, or would he chose a different theme?  All the vowels had been taken up- he couldn’t possibly use the letter p again.  Maybe a B this time.  Bibi.  That was a cute name.  It reminded him of the word baby.

The seith mage jumped into the air, retrieving a soul glass from his open bag.  A few papers escaped into the fluttering wind, but nothing of important value seemed to slip out.

The soul glass was inches away from the floating soul.  The soul moved backwards towards the glass, towards Bickslow, but it didn’t contact the glass.  It made contact with Bickslow’s face.

The soul absorbed into his body.  The soul took over his senses, leaving him defenseless as he tried to fight against the overwhelming power of the other object.  His soul fought for dominance, fought for space, but everything was futile.  Bickslow collapsed to his knees, emotions and memories flooding over him.

Whoever this soul belonged to was trying to tell him something.

A large blonde-haired man stood in front of him.  The scenery had changed to a dark red room with large windows.  The only light source were the windows, which were obstructed by a large desk.

“Daddy!”  Bickslow felt his lips move, but found himself not the one to move them.  His feet tumbled forward, bouncing with each step, and sudden joy filled his senses.  “I made you something special!  I thought you were hungry, so I brought you a snack!”

With that, Bickslow understood what was going on.  The soul was projecting memories onto him. 

“Go away.  I’m busy.  If I want something to eat, I’ll ask the chef to prepare me something.  Don’t bother me again.”

“But Daddy-“

“Lucy!”  The large man sharply turned, knocking papers and books alike off of his desk.  Bickslow’s eyes fixated on the ground. The rice ball had toppled with the avalanche.  “I will not ask again.  Leave, you annoying brat!”

Sadness washed over Bickslow.  Tears fell from his eyes and rolled down his cheeks.  The soul was crying at the memory.  It was currently weakened.

Using the last amount of his magic, Bickslow freed the soul from his body.  He gasped for air.  His senses were still recovering from what happened.

The soul began to float into the sky once more.  The seith mage snapped out of it.  He sprang to his feet, soul glass still grasped in his hand as he reached to enclose the soul.  With one swipe, he caught the runaway soul.

Controlling it to do his bidding had to wait.  There was something the soul wanted to tell him, and he was curious to know what the story was behind the soul.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Welcome back to your regularly scheduled program!
> 
> Make sure to read, review, and leave kudos! Each are appreciated and will help me to get chapters out easier!


	3. Tride and Trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something clicked in his mind. The memory. The question of the guild mark. The familiarity. It couldn’t be.

“Bickslow, Evergreen, I’m back.”

Bickslow looked up from his spot on the couch, eyes landing on a disheveled greenette.  The other’s hair was all over the place, free from it’s usual tie, cascading over his broad shoulders.  Freed’s shopping trip looked more like the aftermath of a battle.

“You doing okay, Freed?”

“I’m fine.”  Freed gracefully lifted heavy bags of food onto the pristine gray counters, not a moment of hesitation or strain in his arms. “I’m not used to crowds.  My hair isn’t the best style for a crowd of this size.  I’m surprised I’m not scraping food and dirt out of my hair.”

Bickslow smiled to himself.  He knew Freed was just exaggerating.  His hair had ended up in worse conditions before.  Sometimes to rune mage was too overbearing and obsessed with his appearance, which seemed to contradict his selfless personality.

“What did you get while you were out?”

“Sadly, I only found one magic book.  I miscalculated how much time it would take for me to find what I needed.  I’ll have to look tomorrow for the rest of the items.”  Freed’s hands scavenged around his burnt leather satchel.

“You’ll have to convince Evergreen to stay.  I can tell she’s already tired of Labery.”  Bickslow grinned.  Evergreen had come home a few minutes before Freed, her hair in the same situation and her mood far worse than the rune mage’s.  It would be awhile before she emerged for social interactions.

His mind flashed to the events of earlier.  The soul.  Should he tell Freed about it?  Or did it not really matter?  He supposed it wasn’t all too important- it was just another soul to add to his collection.  It would aid in battle, but it wouldn’t be game changing.

 It was best not to tell him.  Freed would question him too much about it.

“Speaking of Evergreen…”  Freed’s stormy eyes searched the room.  His female partner was nowhere in sight.  “Did she come back?”

Bickslow could feign innocence and get her in to trouble.  She would have done the same to him.  But Freed was already stressed enough. Bickslow knew he didn’t deserve unnecessary pressure.

“She took one of the rooms back there.  Not sure which one.”

“Right.  I suppose while she’s resting, we can start dinner for tonight.”  The rune mage ambled to the other side of the island counter.  The kitchen space was unbearably small compared to the rest of the house.  Freed’s hair swung against cabinets as he walked from one end of the strip to the other.  The kitchen barely held one person, let alone two.

Bickslow grinned, positioning himself in between the narrow counter space. 

“What’s looking, good cooking?”

“Go away, or you’re not getting anything for dinner,” Freed groaned.  The rune mage walked towards Bickslow, a pan in hand, and pushed by him with difficulty.  The space wouldn’t allow him to comfortably move by.   He would push Bickslow if he had to.  The seith mage was starting to get on his nerves.  “On second thought, why don’t you situate yourself into a room?  I’m sure all you’ll do it get in my way.”

“How romantic of you, Freed.  Flirting with me already?” Bickslow quickly dodged the pan pegged at his head.  “Off to my room it is!”

Despite missing the opportunity to harass Freed, Bickslow felt relieved to be free of company.  He had business he needed to do, and fast.  Keeping this soul in the glass took more magic power than usual.  He needed to give the soul a stable vessel to sustain itself it.  At this rate, Bickslow would be depleted of magic by dinner.

He turned back to Freed.  The rune mage had his back to the seith mage already, fixated on taking ingredients for dinner out of their plastic bags.  Bickslow chuckled to himself- Freed was a mother as much as he was captain of the Thunder Legion.

Bickslow picked up his travel satchel, throwing the bruised-up leather over his shoulder with a thud.  If memory served, Evergreen had stormed into the closest room to the living room.  She seemed too bothered, too tired to trudge herself farther than she had to.  This was Evergreen, after all.  Miss princess.

The brass of the doorknob was cold against Bickslow’s exposed hand.  Nimble fingers grasped the circular device, a shiver going up his spine.  The depletion of his magic was starting to take it’s toll- he needed to get this soul out as fast as possible.  The door slammed quickly behind Bickslow.

He didn’t have a proper vessel to contain the soul.  Not one to properly allow avid comfort and control for the lost soul, but she thought about it, comfort didn’t seem to be a priority.  He had always treated his babies as, well, his babies, but this soul was a mere stranger to him.  There was something familiar about the soul, about the way it looked, about the way it carried itself, but he couldn’t bring the feeling to the surface of his mind. The memory of familiarity was trapped in his mind, concealed by his usual poor retention of mind.

The bed screamed in protest as Bickslow hurriedly threw his bag onto the bed.  Maybe he did have something and couldn’t care to remember it in the moment.  His hands rummaged through unseen forms and shapes, desperately clawing at whatever would seem like a good vessel.  He just needed something.

And he had nothing.

“Dammit!” he called, frustration ringing loudly in his voice. 

Bickslow had never been good at hiding or containing his emotions.  When there was nothing to upset him, he was right as rain, over excited and joking.  He could cover himself then.  But when the world had it out for him, when things didn’t quite go his way, his façade easily cracked under disappointing.

His mind caught memory of the small doll collection laying pretty in the living room.  The mantel was decorated with intricate, glass dolls with frilly dresses and proper curls.  The Thunder Legion was residing in someone else’s home, only renting the place out for a few days as contracted with the owners.  If he used one, he could put it back after returning magic flowed through his veins.  But right now, he needed one of those dolls.

Blue contact eyes stared down at his bad once more before taking off into the living room.  He didn’t run, but he didn’t walk.  His pace was abnormal, but not obscene or unusual.  If Freed saw him, he would not ask.

Or so he thought.

“Bickslow?”  Freed turned from his place at the kitchen counter, torso hanging over cold marble countertops as he read a copy of Sorcerer’s Weekly.  The cover, adorned with unfamiliarly familiar black and white themed men, was pressed against the table as Freed began to shift in position.  “Are you alright?”

“Hunky dory.  Just tired.” 

“That’s a new one.  You never sleep.”  Freed stared at Bickslow’s sluggish face, a quizzical stare shrouding his face.  Bickslow caught notice of Freed’s harsh gaze.

“Guess all these years of insomnia are catching up to me.”  The blue haired mage yawned, hoping to sell the act, and ran his broad fingers through his coarse hair.  A nervous tick.

The rune mage cocked his eyebrow, a cynical smile curving his flat lips.  Bickslow was being obvious.  In trying too hard not to be noticed, he was easily giving his disposition away. 

“Dinner will be ready in about 20 minutes.”  Freed turned his back to Bickslow, and at that point he knew he wasn’t going to press further.  Bickslow sighed in relief.

“I’ll be returning to my room, then.  See you in 20.”

Bickslow stared at Freed’s back, eyes watching his every move.  He had to grab the doll, but he couldn’t let Freed know he was grabbing it.

“Actually, Bickslow,” Freed spoke once more.  Green hair swayed drastically to the side as he turned to his best friend.   Freed’s stormy eyes were clouded with an unknown emotion.  Bickslow’s instincts told him it wasn’t something about him, but that didn’t ease his anxiety even more.  He couldn’t be caught up in a mindless conversation.  “I want to know something.”

“What’s up, Freed?”

Dark blue eyes trailed to the floor, fixating on the floor boards.  Something was wrong.

“I was asked to do another interview with Sorcerer Weekly.  Valentine’s Day edition.”  Bickslow turned his own gaze to the magazine in front of Freed.  Was that why he was reading an older edition?  Not that Bickslow knew it was an older edition because he read it.  He had seen Freed read the magazine many times before.  “I’m number 3 for the most wanted suitor, only tailing behind Gray Fullbuster and Hibiki Lates.  They…want to know if I’m in a relationship with anybody.  I’m not sure if Laxus would-”

“But you’re not in a relationship.”

Freed looked to Bickslow, anger flashing through his face.  His eyebrows furrowed against his eyelids, an angry line forming across his face.  “I am.  That’s the problem.”  His usual monotone voice held resentment for his best friend.

The seith mage knew convincing Freed of his failed relationship was going to be a problem.  He and Evergreen had been supportive all this time, taking care of the broken pieces when Laxus had inevitably left them, forbidding them to follow on an SS class mission.

Freed had feigned happiness.  He hid his broken heart behind a façade of drive and intention.  A façade of leadership, of companionship. 

Bickslow didn’t want Freed to forget Laxus.  None of them wanted to forget Laxus.  But Freed needed to stop relying on the hope of Laxus’s return.

“When’s the last time you talked to the guy, Freed?  It’s been almost a year since he left us at Fairy Tail for some SS Class Mission.  I’m not saying you can’t love the guy, but you shouldn’t go out saying you’re in a relationship with him either.  You can wait for him, but who knows how things will change whenever he comes back around?”  Bickslow stepped forward, pressing his waist line pressed against the counter.  “If you’re so adamant about wanting to reveal something, just say you have a crush.  And on a guy, or you might get more female fans than wanted or needed.  It’s bad enough we had to deal with Laxus’s fangirls whenever he was around.”

“You’re right.  I’m sorry for thinking so irrationally.”  Freed allowed a smile to sneak past his lips.  The anger from before left his voice.  He was his usual calm, intelligent self.

“What brought this on?  Just the idea of the Valentine’s Day shoot?”

“Yes but no.  I’ve had the interview on my mind all week.  But out in public, I found a Sorcerer Weekly stand with old copies.  I found an issue from last year.  When…the first open gay wizard couple was announced.  Do you remember that?”

How could he not?  Freed had cried about it to Laxus for weeks.  He was sensitive when it came to his sexuality, the truth behind a secret only the Thunder Legion.  And Laxus, of course.  He wasn’t ashamed- in fact, the opposite- but the fear of coming out publicly had always frightened him.   Freed didn’t like the attention on himself.

“Sting and Rogue.  Those Sabertooth punks, right?  The ones who had their asses kicked by Natsu and Gajeel during the Grand Magic Games a few years back.”

Freed nervously nodded his head, green locks cascading a hiding over his pale face.  “It made me happy to know there were others out there like me, you know?”

Bickslow knew Freed’s struggle with his sexuality better than anyone else, probably better than Freed himself knew.  The two confided in each other often, the stable rock for each other’s breaking sanity.  They understood things about each other that Evergreen didn’t- she knew the gist of their problems and past, but the barriers were never completely broken.  Bickslow and Freed grew up together.  Their bond was stronger.

The seith mage was Freed’s pick for the S Class Trials not because of his strength, but because of his bond.  When they had first arrived at the guild together, battered and beaten young children, they promised to always be by each other’s side.  They were like brothers.

Freed was the rational, secluded one.  Bickslow was the rambunctious, impulsive one.  Together they complimented each other nicely.

In battle, Freed was the strategist and support, but he played a good offense when he needed.  Bickslow was the offense and agility, but he played a good defense when he was needed.  They always complimented each other nicely, in more ways that just battles.  In more ways than just friends.

Bickslow’s magic power was putting a strain on his body more than it had earlier, but he couldn’t abandon Freed when his best friend needed him.  When his brother needed him.  Sometimes their roles reversed, Bickslow becoming the rational counterpart to Freed’s insecurities.  And this was one of those times.

Thick arms wrapped around Freed’s figure, the rune mage’s head being thrust into a large shoulder.  Bickslow held Freed loosely against his own body, a sense of comfort washing over him.  Freed chuckled against the other, his lips curved into an upward smile.

“Thank you, Bickslow.”

“Anytime, Greenie.”  He pulled back, a friendly grin plastered on his weary face.  “You know I’m always here for you.”

“You look even more tired than before.  Are you sure you’re doing alright, Bickslow?  This isn’t like you.”  Freed broke contact, pulling his arms away from the seith mage.  The other dropped his arms to his side with a loud, disheveled thud.

He could continue to feign innocence.  He could continue to lie.  But he knew Freed deserved to know, regardless of the outcome.  Why he had told himself the other didn’t need to know was beyond him.

“Actually, there’s something I need to tell you.”

 

* * *

 

 

“How does this work?  If you put her soul in one of the dolls, what will it do?”  Freed methodically examined the porcelain doll sitting on the table in front of them.  He turned his gaze to Bickslow, who was pulling the soul glass out of his small leather bag.

“It’ll just be like any of my other dolls.  I get to control it, but with this case, it’ll be less control than it usually is.”  Bickslow’s hands shook as he placed the glass onto the table.  His body was becoming weaker and weaker with each second.  His body slouched to the right, breathing coming in spurts.

“Bickslow!”  Freed rushed to his best friend’s side, supporting him with his steady hands.  He could feel the magic leave Bickslow’s body in rapid succession.

“Untamed souls take a lot of power from the holder.  It’s kind of like celestial spirit contracts- you need to make a contact with a soul to make it work properly and not extract so much magic.”   Bickslow coughed into Freed’s arm, staining the red coat with blood.  If he didn’t act soon, he would go into magic deficiency disease.

“I’ve got you.  Hurry up,” Freed commanded, his grip on Bickslow strengthen.  He wouldn’t let Bickslow slip.

Bickslow uncapped the soul glass in one, shaking movement, releasing the golden soul from it’s container.  Freed’s eyes widened as the once visible gold disappeared from the glass, leaving him mystified.  His eyes searched the air for the location, but his eyes could not find it.

“Give me a moment,” Bickslow murmured.  His eyes sprung to life, cold green gaze scouring the room for the location of the soul.  The seith mage stood upright, knocking Freed off in the process.  The two wizards looked around the room, trying to find their target.  “Souls are unpredictable.  If you feel something try to take over you, say something, Freed.”

“They can do that?”  Freed’s stormy eyes widened in terror.  He had never heard of soul’s possessing over living bodies.

“Souls are the closest to ghosts this world is going to get.  Even Master Mavis is nothing but soul, her soul is just powerful enough to take on a physical form.”

Freed pressed his back against Bickslow’s, sending a comforting support throughout the seith mage’s back.  Bickslow smiled, the contact of his friend giving him strength.

The gold glittered in the corner of his eyes.  Bickslow rapidly turned, figure eyes landing on the faint glow of the soul.  “Figure eyes!”

Bickslow threw up his right hand, his middle finger and pointer finger pressed together in front of his face.  His eyes controlled the soul around the room until it suddenly turned a bright shade of visible green.

Freed once again stared in amazement.  He had never seen a soul before.  The sight was amazing, and Bickslow got to see it all the time.  Freed found himself jealous, in a way.

The soul drifted to the prepared container, it’s green glow taking hold of the empty vessel.  Sweat rolled down Bickslow’s face, his eyes straining with concentration.

The eyes of the doll lit up momentarily.  Bickslow slouched in relief.  His figure eyes were taking more out of him than he had wanted.

As soon as the seith mage relaxed, a shattering sound rang through the air.

“Dammit!”

The doll shattered, spreading sharp ceramic shards around the room.  Freed brought his arms to his face to protect himself, blocking a few stray pieces of ceramic.  The rune mage grunted.  A large shard of ceramic buried itself in his arm.

Bickslow stared at the spot where the doll had once been.  His first plan went out the window.  There was only thing left to do.

He turned to Freed.  “Freed, do you trust me?”

“Do I trust you?”

“Yes, Freed, do you trust me?”

“I…I do.  Why are you asking me that right now, Bickslow?”

“You’ll find out soon.  Brace yourself!”  Bickslow’s eyes flashed green once more, the figure eyes digging daggers into Freed’s mind.  Freed’s stormy eyes hazed over.

Bickslow gritted his teeth.  He had never attempted a forced possession before.  Live bodies were different than objects, there was so much more that could go wrong.  But he had to do it.  He had to find a vessel for the soul as soon as possible.  The doll broke, the soul glass was draining his magic- He had to.

Freed would understand.  He would know Bickslow didn't want to hurt him.  They were too close of friends...Freed wouldn't hate him over this.  RIght?

Freed let out a loud cry from his throat.  His hands shot up to cover his eyes, body trembling under the weight of Bickslow’s possession.  Bickslow felt fear rush over him.  What had he done?

He had to concentrate.  

Freed’s body collapsed to the floor, his green hair covering his face protectively.  Bickslow raised an arm to reach out to his friend, but as quickly as he did, Freed’s body shot up.

Stormy eyes glowed to life, a signature mark of green glowing over dark blue irises.  The possession had worked, but he wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold onto it.  Freed’s eyes widened.

“Where…am I?”

The seith mage frantically straightened himself up.  He couldn’t tell who was reaching out to him- Freed, or the owner of the soul.  Bickslow was struggling to keep a hold on the soul.  If he let it go, he wasn’t sure what would happen to Freed.

“In Labery.  We’re in a one-day rental apartment.  Do you know who you are?”

‘Freed’ looked down at his hands, eyes staring quizzically.  “My guild mark…is green?  What-“  The figure shot it’s eyes towards Bickslow once more, panic rushing through their body. “Bickslow?  What are you doing?”

This time, it was Bickslow’s turn to widen his eyes in surprise.  The soul…it knew them?

Something clicked in his mind.  The memory.  The question of the guild mark.  The familiarity.  It couldn’t be.

“Lucy Heartfilia…is that you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry for such a late update, I had school work to catch up on. Welcome back to your regularly scheduled program!
> 
> Make sure to read, review, and leave kudos! Each are appreciated and will help me to get chapters out easier!


	4. Requiem and Recollect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Where…am I?”
> 
> Bickslow snapped to attention with her sudden question. His brow furrowed, and for a second, she thought she did something wrong. He looked battered and tired, as if he were about to snap under pressure. She couldn’t recall a time when he had looked this defeated and serious.
> 
> “In Labery. We’re in a one-day rental apartment. Do you know who you are?”
> 
> Did she know who she was? Of course she did.

Lucy Heartfilia was floating.  Nothing had felt more right for the celestial mage.

The feeling of soaring, the feeling of watching overhead as life moved on below her.  A part of her wondered if this was what it was like to be a celestial spirit- constantly watching, time seemingly meaningless as the world moved on in another existence.

The feeling was strange at first.  Her body, no, her existence never felt so light and free.  Her spirit had never tasted true freedom, and now that she tasted it, she didn’t want it back.  Being completely in control was liberating.

But fear was still heavily sitting in her mind.

There was always something missing in her subconscious.  Something didn’t feel right, even if she thought it did.  Something was _missing_.

Floating among the clouds, Lucy had time to think.  She had time to remember what it was she so desperately missed in her life.  And finally, the answer came in the form of a dorky, stupid, flirtatious man wearing a medieval sallet and wielding creepy dolls.  Bickslow, Fairy Tail’s resident Seith Mage.

Her conscious snapped to life at the sight of him in the streets below, frantically chasing after her soul. The pieces fit together.

She had died.

Panic rushed over her form, but she could not struggle, could not find resolution to the situation she had found herself in.  She was dead.

As quickly as the realization came, she was entrapped by the seith mage, completely in his control with no form of exit.  But the feeling of being contained by stability made Lucy calm down.

It was no time at all before she was freed once more, left to panic in the open air.  She had never been the type to panic past overaction.  Anxiety wasn’t something she made a habit of- but the fear of knowing she was dead was too much.  Her mind…. conscious?  Her conscious wanted to purge the idea. 

Her senses numbed and blurred together like mixed paint.  Everything seemed no more than a fever dream.

The pain came quickly. 

While in her soul state, physical pain and suffering had been obsolete- nothing could stimulate her.  But suddenly she was dragged towards a hazy green figure.  Her control was once again lost, and she allowed herself to relax.  The relaxation could not prepare her for the sense of pain.

She screamed.  She wasn’t sure how, but she screamed.

She had suddenly become more aware.  More alive.  Her weightless formed crumpled in a heavy heap, and suddenly things were hot.  They were cold.  Long hair dusted over skin, a familiar feeling to her as she had grown up with exclusively long hair.  And her eyes.  Her eyes _burned_.

At the recognition of pain, she threw open her eyes.  She was on the floor!  Her arms and legs flailed against the floor as she desperately tried to stand.  Her legs were weak, unfamiliar, and her arms felt heavier than they normally did.  Nothing felt it’s usual weight, and suddenly she had become so much more aware.  Painfully aware of the roller-coaster that had been the past few moments.

Her legs wobbled under her own weight as she managed to stand.  Something dusted across her backside as she swayed, keeping her balance successfully as time passed.  Hair?

A piercing glare shot daggers through her mind.  Her eyes continued to burn, her mind continued to swirl, and inside something had started to disturb.  Her conscious pushed against another force.  She could _feel_ it.  Her instability induced anxiety returned to the surface.

There he stood in front of her, tiredness ringing through his eyes, and weariness running through his form.  Bickslow.  Bickslow, who she had fought and defeated during Fantasia.  Bickslow, who she had seen running through streets in what she could recall as a fever dream.

She didn’t remember him being on her mission.

“Where…am I?”

Bickslow snapped to attention with her sudden question.  His brow furrowed, and for a second, Lucy thought she did something wrong.  He looked battered and tired, as if he were about to snap under pressure.  She couldn’t recall a time when he had looked this defeated and serious.

“In Labery.  We’re in a one-day rental apartment.  Do you know who you are?”

Did she know who she was?  Of course she did.

She was Lucy Heartfilia.  Lucy Heartfilia of Fairy Tail.  Lucy Heartfilia, the daughter of Jude and Layla Heartfilia.  Lucy Heartfilia who loved her celestial spirits and family more than she did her own life.  She knew entirely who she was.

She had always found stability in the reminder of Fairy Tail.  Whenever she felt down, she always turned to her guild mark as a pick me up.  Her eyes turned down towards her frail hand, bright iris’s beaming over the familiar mark of her family.  Panic set in her mind once more.

Her guild mark had turned _green_.

“My guild mark…is green?  What-“  She could feel tears brimming at her eyes.  She hadn’t noticed the change in the voice in her head.  It lacked her usual feminine charm- it belonged to more…of a men’s variety.

Her helpless eyes shot to Bickslow once more, hoping he had the answers she did not.  “Bickslow?  What are you doing?”

The seith mage seemed to hesitate on responding.  She could see the words forming on his lips, but they did not open with information.  She wanted answers, and he was not giving them fast enough to calm her ever growing panic. 

Lucy had never experienced an anxiety attack before, but she was sure with the pressure she was about to experience her first one.  Bickslow continued to stare in awe at her.

“Lucy…is that you?”

Of course it was.  Wasn’t it obvious?

Nervously, she nodded her head, unsure if she even was herself at this point.  She was beginning to doubt her entire existence.

Bickslow’s shoulders relaxed, but the worry did not leave his features.  The seith mage was obviously perturbed by something, and if she had to bet, Lucy knew it had to do with her.

Silence shrouded the room in suspension.  Lucy’s questions had not yet been answered and being left in the dark any longer did not help to calm her anxiety.

“You’re probably wondering how you got here, right?” he whispered in a murmur barely audible for even her to hear.   But slightly, just slightly, she could hear him.  “You’re probably expecting me to know all the answers, right?”

She nodded once more, hopeful of the answers surely coming out of his mysterious word foreplay.

“I can’t even tell you myself.  I’m completely stunned as to you…you being here.”

There was no hint of sarcasm in his voice.  Bickslow was known through Fairy Tail as the practical jokester.  Anyone and everyone had been the receiving end of a joke at least once- some unfortunate enough to be the end of several jokes.

“But I can tell you that somehow, in some way, in the past three days, you managed to…”  Bickslow’s glowing green eyes shifted to the left.  He was avoiding an unforeseen obstacle.  “…get yourself killed.  I wish for once I could be joking.”

Lucy’s mind began to spin.  She was…She couldn’t be…

Memories of what happened came rushing back.  The client.  His face as he…Oh Mavis…

Lucy dropped to her knees, hand covering her mouth to stifle a sob.  “No…”

“I have you in a momentary possession.  You’re currently in Freed’s body.  You broke the vessel we tried putting you in originally.  I guess your magical power is that powerful, cheerleader.”  There was a warm comfort in his voice.  A comfort she could get lost in.  The situation was terrible, and yet, he felt stable enough to rely on.  She was in Freed’s body, which seemed weird in concept, but something Lucy found quite comforting.

 “Do you remember anything?  Anything at all?”

“It’s all so hazy,” she mustered through sobs.  Hearing Freed’s voice coming out instead of her own was surreal, almost as if she was watching events through a movie.  She felt the pressure of his body as he shifted, but she could not attach the movements with her own.  “I remember some, but…there are still so many gaps.”

A warm hand grazed her shoulder.  “I need you to stand up and recount them for me.  We need to figure out what happened.”

Freed’s cerulean eyes investigated Bickslow’s, and Lucy noticed the small ring of red concealed inside his bright green eyes.  She found herself wondering if his natural eye color was red; she had never seen his true eyes before.  She closed her eyes and placed a hand on his arm for support.  Together they worked to pull her up off the floor and onto her feet.

“You should sit down.  I don’t want you collapsing again.”  Bickslow kept a careful arm around Freed’s figure as he led Lucy to the couch arms distance away from where she had collapsed.  Up close, Lucy noticed his breathing had slightly hitched as he carried her, almost as if he was physically exhausted by something.  She sat down awkwardly, the feeling of being seated an unfamiliarly familiar feeling.

Bickslow stood above her.  He had not chosen to sit in front or next to her.  Instead, he just stood.   Silence passed for a few more moments.  Bickslow’s grunt broke the silence.

“So…”

“Right.  Well…”

“Is this hard for you?” Bickslow asked.  A few more second passed between them before Lucy felt weight on the couch next to where Bickslow’s tall form sat.  “…If you can’t say what happened, I could always…have you momentarily possess me and project your thoughts onto me.”

She had to be dreaming.  She decided she had to be.  The situation was too bizarre for real life.  She was dead.  Now she’s possessing Freed’s body.  And Bickslow is acting serious.  Whoever’s illusion magic this was, they sure loved playing practical jokes.

Lucy’s eyes softened as she stared into the lap below her.  Her mind traced patterns over Freed’s white black pants, trying to distract herself from the situation.  Before she knew what was happening, she was crying.

It wasn’t fair!  She was dead.  Her life had become nonexistent, and now she was doomed to become one of Bickslow’s creepy dolls.

A large hand caressed Freed’s shoulder.  Lucy brought her head up, a small gasp escaping her lips from the sudden contact.  Her form went frigid before relaxing once more. 

“What’s going to happen to me?” she whispered out.  “Am I…really dead?  Will I be like this forever?”

She turned her body to Bickslow, Freed’s cerulean eyes staring directly into his.  His green eyes casted more shadows than they had before- whatever he was doing to Freed’s body left a toll on him.

“I need to know what happened to you before I can assess the damage, cheerleader,” he reconciled.  “Sure, I can attach your soul to some host, but reviving you?  Depends on what happened to your body.”

“Do you know what happened to my body?”  Her body.  She didn’t even know what happened to her body in the outcome of events.

“I didn’t even know you were dead, cheerleader.  I’ve been on this mission for months.  And by the way this is going, I’ll probably be here for even longer.”

Lucy nodded, eyes returning to scanning over the hem of Freed’s pants.  The Thunder Legion had always been known for their long missions.  “Do you know how long ago you died?” he asked.  Her eyes shot back to him again.

“I don’t know.  Time has felt…”

“Obsolete?  Nonexistent?  Almost like sleeping, but aware?”

That explained exactly how it felt.  Hesitantly she nodded.

Bickslow sighed, running his fingers through his choppy blue and black hair.  “You’re not exactly making this easy, are you?”

Lucy slapped him across the shoulder.  “And you’re not exactly making this easy either, you freak!  Here I am, distressed and confused, and you’re…you’re patronizing me for something out of my control!”  Bickslow scowled at her, a look of dispassion in his eyes.

“Freak, huh?  At least I’m not a fucking cosplayer.”

“At least I don’t stick out my tongue all the time!”  In mockery, Lucy stuck out her tongue and made a _bleh_ noise toward him.  Bickslow barred his teeth, and the green in his eyes glowed brighter.

“Look, if you’re not going to cooperate, I can’t exactly help you, now can I?  The best I can do is hold your soul in a vessel so my magic can control you.  And news flash, I’m barely doing that.  I need to attach you to a new body, but I can’t do that until we figure out what happened to you in the first place!”

The celestial mage felt guild rush over her.  Bickslow was clearly in as much distress as she was, and their bickering wasn’t helping either of them.  She sighed, lowering her head enough to drape green locks over her legs.  Freed’s body felt weird to be in.

“You said you could momentarily possess me.  How about we do that?”

Bickslow gently reached over and grabbed her hand in his.  The small action brought flush to her face as he got close, close enough for Lucy to hear his breathing.  She could feel him grin in the crook of Freed’s neck, hot breath dancing across pale skin.

“If you insist, cheerleader.  Brace yourself.”  His voice sent shivers up her spine.  She opened her mouth to speak, but two rough hands grasping at her shoulders cut off her air.

The darkness came over once more, leaving Lucy to float in defeat.

 

* * *

 

Lucy stared into the vast field before her.  The long grass rolled over hills like a tidal wave, showering everything in a bright hue of green.  Her bright brown eyes fondly scanned over the surroundings, unfamiliar, but so calming.   Memories of her childhood rushed back to her in small fragments. Her mother’s cordial smile, her father’s exulted laugh.  The memory was hazy, almost as if she was recalling events from a past life.

Her mission had been an easy success.  All she had to do was figure out what was tormenting the village, and then had to stop it.  Turned out to only be an invisible wood spirit causing havoc on the town’s people.  Using Horologium, Sagittarius, and Virgo, she brought the other spirit down with ease.

The client had requested she stayed another night to avoid any possible injury to her body.  He had insisted she stay with he and his family, their estate being the most secure and safest spot in the country.  The wife took care of her while she stayed, providing spare clothes and food for the tired mage.

She snuck off in the middle of the night with Plue, the calm of the breeze rolling over her exposed skin.  The dark blue sky illuminated the air, and sparkling stars danced across the canvas of the sky.  The memory was picture perfect.

Lucy watched as Plue turned his tiny head to stare behind them, and his visible shaking grew even more violent.  Plue made a noise of protest, raising a tiny hand to point in their visible direction.

“Plue?” she asked, amusement in her voice. His warning sign was interpreted as a worry of being caught.  “It’s alright, don’t worry about it.”  Lucy smiled happily down at the small snow man creature and crouched to his level to pat his head.  She moved to stand but found herself frozen.  Her bright brown eyes widened, confusing running through her features.

“M…Magic?” she whimpered out in confusion.  She could move her lips and her eyes, but no other part of her body would budge.  Plue whimpered loudly, grabbing onto her arm and pulling it.  Was this what he was trying to warn of?  “What’s going on?”

“I see you decided to make this more difficult than need be, Mrs. Heartfilia,” a familiar voice called from behind her.  Lucy’s body would not budge to turn her around, yet she knew who stood behind her.

“What have you done to me?” she scowled, anger rushing through her mind.  “You said your estate was the most protected spot in the country.”

“Protected from the outside, my dear.  I spoke nothing of the inside.”  Cold metal pressed against Lucy’s exposed throat, sending fearing shivers down her body.  “When I called for a celestial wizard with that job application, I never expected to see you, Mrs. Heartfilia.  You know…”  His voice drifted off, almost as if he were walking away, but the knife pressed even harder at her throat.  She let out a strangled cry, hoping to alert somebody nearby.  “…You have a large bounty on your head in the dark wizarding world.  Almost as high as your little pal, the Salamander.”

Plue turned and ran from Lucy’s front; his paws desperately clawed at the former client.  With one quick kick, the assailant sent Plue flying with a distressed cry.

“Plue!” Lucy yelled out fearfully as Plue disappeared into gold dust. 

The client’s tongue ran across Lucy’s exposed earlobe.  “I wish the bounty included keeping you alive, though.”  He grabbed a fistful of Lucy’s blonde locks and pulled her forcefully to face him.  His once gentle blue eyes stared at her brokenly with insanity flamed in his eyes.  “I would love to keep you as my personal slave, but…I’m afraid…it won’t work out for you like that.”

Lucy opened her mouth to scream once more, but the metal dug deep into her throat as she tried.  Dark red blood rolled down her skin, painting her with garish liquid down her front.  As her eyes faded, she saw the red splatter on her assailant’s face. 

“Too bad for you.  I had anti zodiac key summoning runes placed on my estate.  I would hate to be inconvenienced by one of those spirits.”

A whimper left Lucy’s lips as she collapsed in her attacker’s arms, consciousness fading into nothing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Welcome back to your regularly scheduled program!
> 
> Make sure to read, review, and leave kudos! Each are appreciated and will help me to get chapters out easier!


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